


Don't Say Goodbye

by buttermeup



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, Eventual Larry, M/M, Strippers & Strip Clubs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 12:27:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11989779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buttermeup/pseuds/buttermeup
Summary: Liam's attempts to get Zayn to forgive him become a chase around London night life and a perfect excuse for his friends to go along for the ride, and maybe have a little too much fun. Expect one established relationship and one meet cute, including fun with strippers {also, Harry is Zayn's little brother here.}





	Don't Say Goodbye

 

Liam fidgets in the backseat of Ed's Toyota where he's uncomfortably wedged between two fully grown men. He glances to his right at Andy's nodding head; his best friend's practically unconscious after the six rounds of tequila he's had with a stripper two clubs prior, and then to his left where Harry, Zayn's little brother sits, far too close for comfort and dopily smiling at him. Surprisingly, the kid could handle his liquor far better than most.

"So, where are we off to next?", Ed calls from the driver's seat.

"Just go to the next closest place. They couldn't have gotten very far." Liam thinks out loud, the bartender at the last place told them the group they were trailing had only left the place ten minutes ago, so they weren't legging too much behind.

"I think I saw a dance club we didn't check back on Windmill", Niall supplies helpfully from the passenger seat.

"Oh yeah, I know that one. Nice place", Harry bounces his right leg in barely contained energy.

"Alright, back to the Windmill it is", Ed mutters and wearily shifts the gear to drive. Liam supposes he should feel a little guilty putting them all through this but he's having a hard time concentrating on anything that isn't his main goal of the night. Find Zayn. And get him to listen.

If he could just do that, Liam knows he could fix this whole clusterfuck of a situation and the mess that was left of their relationship after the fight they had earlier.

It wasn't the first one they'd had, not by a long shot. He and Zayn have had many fights in the time they've been together, but the one they've had today makes them all look like insignificant points of contention in comparison.

The argument, which originally started about the most idiotic of things, had somehow blown up into the size of an elephant that threatened to trample their entire relationship to bits. He'd never seen his boyfriend angrier than he was after Liam walked up to him and one of his classmates, sitting in the campus coffee shop and practically told the guy to sod off. And Liam couldn't really blame him, he was the first to admit that his behavior was out of line, but the reaction he had when he saw Zayn smiling so carelessly and openly at this guy he'd never met, was in a way almost inevitable.

Liam wasn't usually one for starting a spat or exhibiting such possessive tendencies as a boyfriend, but he's been feeling on edge as of late, in a way only Zayn has ever had the power of putting him. Maybe it was the long never-ending semester or the fact that they had barely managed to see each other in the last weeks and whenever they finally do, they're usually too exhausted to do anything other than cuddle together in front of the telly and fall asleep. Whatever it was, Liam was feeling agitated and frustrated, and the unfortunate result was that he took it out in the most embarrassing way.

He still cringes when he thinks about the way he practically loomed over the guy until he left and then accused Zayn of using his time to flirt with his classmates instead of calling his boyfriend, who he hadn't had a chance to talk to in far too long.

Needless to say, that turned into a fight of epic proportions, they had both said some things they definitely shouldn't have and Zayn ended up storming off right before warning Liam that he better not follow. That was eight hours ago and Zayn still won't return any of his calls and Liam hasn't been able to find him since.

He would have done the sensible thing and gave him some time, let them both get some perspective but Liam never claimed to be sensible. And if Zayn was only angry with him Liam would have tried to be patient, but he kept hearing the crack in his boyfriend's voice when he told him not to follow him and Liam's heart ached with the knowledge that he put it there. He just had to try everything to fix it. Liam can't not follow him, no matter how many times Zayn may ask.

So he had called Andy in desperate need for help, Liam's car was in the shop so he needed to solicit his friends for a ride. Only Andy happened to be hanging out with Ed at that time, who jumped at the opportunity to get the old gang back together and because he was already supposed to spend the night with Niall and Zayn's brother, didn't really ask Liam before he invited them to tag along. Somehow it all ended up with the five of them packed into one car and cruising Shaftesbury in the mission to try and salvage Liam's relationship. Or what's left of it.

So yeah, Liam's desperate and if he could just find Zayn and convince him it was all just dumb misunderstandings and misplaced anger then they would by okay again. And all will be right again in Liam's world.

He just had to find him first.

So, that's the reason that the five of them had been to more clubs than Liam could count in the last few hours, in hot pursuit of his very sweet but currently very pissed off boyfriend; who just happened to be participating in some bachelorette party for another one of his friends from school, bar hopping and frequenting what seemed like every strip joint in London.

"Hang on, Cris just twitted a picture of them", Harry's update brings him back to the present from dwelling on his current misfortune. "It looks like they're in the Candy Shop", Harry tells them, never taking his eyes off his lap where he fiddles with his smart phone. Liam glances down and is struck by the very explicit pictures of drunk students and exotic dancers depicted on his screen.

"Do you like know every strip club in the country?", Niall asks in amazement, turning to look at Harry from his seat.

"I get around", Harry mumbles, suddenly bashful.

"You certainly do", Ed cackles at him and Harry kicks the back of his seat, half landing himself on Liam in the process. Andy mutters something and starts to drool on Liam's shoulder and Liam swears to himself that he's going to pay his mechanic double if he'll have his car fixed by tomorrow. Just in case, he and Zayn decide to nearly break up again and Liam will have to chase him around town again, so he could do it without the added baggage of his annoying friends.

But, whatever. It's all worth it for Zayn.

-

 

"You gonna stay here, bud?", Liam asks Andy, after Ed parks on the other side of town. Andy's face is plastered against the side of the car window and does nothing but snore in response so Liam decides to take that as a yes. He steps back and waits for Ed to lock the doors.

The Candy Shop, aka one of the biggest strip joints in London is located just outside of Soho and unlike the rest of the venues they visited so far is ostensibly more gaudy and flashy. The walls are adorned with pop art pieces and the lights hanging from the ceiling are shaped like lollipops and cherries shedding hues of pinks, yellows and blues all over the floor. The overall effect is a bit much for Liam's taste but he figures if he ever had a stag night, it'll do.

"Don't get too far", Liam tells them once they get in, just in case Zayn and his friends had already move on, and sees the rest starting to spread around the venue. Ed and Niall heading over to the bar and Harry wandering off in some random direction he seems to have found something interesting in. He doesn't get more than two feet through the club before he's being recognized.

"Liam my man! How's it hanging?", someone crows and Liam turns around to see one of Zayn's friends from school, Jade, decked in colorful, blinking, bachelorette party paraphernalia, stumbling out of the embrace of a scantily clad stripper. Liam nearly cries with how relived he is to see her, it means Zayn's nearby.

"Where is he?"

"Lima! You hurt my feelings. No, hi, how are you? How have you been? I've been great, thank you for asking." Jade stares expectantly at him and Liam stubbornly stares back.

"Fine", Jade makes a show of sighing exasperatedly. "He's over there but he won't be happy I told you that."

"Is that so?", Liam grumbles at her.

"He's a little mad at you, you know. He told me what you did, naughty", Jade sends him a knowing look Liam's too preoccupied to get irritated by and then points to an area in the club, located further back.

Liam wastes no time in muttering his thanks and stalking in that direction, rounding a wide stage until he sees a large group sitting at a few tables and cheering at something on stage. Zayn sees him the minute he steps in his proximity, lifting his head from the conversation he's in as if knowing Liam's near. Zayn's eyes narrow at the sight and by the murderous glint in his eyes, and just like that, Liam's suddenly not so sure he should have been so eager to find him instead of giving him enough time to cool off. But it was a known weakness of his, whenever Zayn was concerned Liam turned impetuous and impatient.

So Liam braves the death-glare his boyfriend sends his way and walks over to talk to him.

-

 

Harry nods in appreciation to his surroundings, the place has a clear policy of open-mindedness, from the wall to wall exhibitions of erotica and the wide array of flavors of dancers that's explicitly aimed to cater to the tastes of all kinds. On the far side, the main stage stretches, dominating most of the club, and small platforms are spaced out throughout the place, each occupied by one of the dancers. He could see girls, he could see boys and even some he couldn't quite determine either way, but all unabashedly swinging to the sound of the thumping base, twirling around poles, some giving lap dances usually to aging old men or groups of giggling girls.

He's been there before, Harry's not a big fan of strip joints, doesn't particularly seek them out like some of his friends might but he can appreciate the setting.

A gaggle of catcalls and shouting draws his attention to a few tables loitering the front of a smaller stage with a couple of dancers on it in different stages of undress, though most of the attention is taken by a guy dancing on it front and center. Harry laughs to himself, watching him twirl his ridiculous feather boa and shake his ass to the sound of the music and the cheers from the crowd. He has short cropped brown hair and a sweet way about him, that Harry really wouldn't mind taking a closer look at, but the dancer already looks like he has one too many costumers vying for his attention, probably all dying for a lap dance so Harry occupies his time with wandering around some more. He briefly considers looking for his friends but he can't seem to spot them in his sight, the place is massive, so he figures they'd ring him whenever they decided to head out.

-

 

"Zayn, just hear me out – "

"You shouldn't have come here", Zayn crosses his arms over his chest and steps away from the group of friends Liam vaguely recognizes as Zayn's friends from the University.

"I wanted to see you", Liam says plainly. "Why did you leave like that?"

Zayn shakes his head and huffs, knowing that he is being dragged into a conversation he doesn't want to have but allowing it anyway. "You were being a dick."

"I'm always a dick", Liam attempts to lighten the mood but it falls a little flat.

Zayn just spares him a glance and doesn't waste the opportunity. "You're right about that one."

Liam sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Look, Zayn, I just flipped. I saw you with that guy and I just lost it. I know I shouldn't have reacted like I did."

"Damn right you shouldn't have", Zayn's voice rises, his cool composure starting to break. "We were just talking. How dare you act like that, treating my friend like that? Do you know how humiliated I was?!"

"Maybe next time when you have so much free time on your hands to have coffee with your classmate, you'll think about inviting your boyfriend along!", Liam snaps, knowing full well that he sounds like a jealous boyfriend but past the point of caring. Maybe he is one.

"Oh. Screw you, Liam", Zayn lashes out and stumps off in the direction of the restroom.

-

 

Harry settles himself in a relatively isolated booth along the back and gets a pint of beer off the tap cause at this stage of the night he'd probably be drunk until Christmas if he got anymore heavy booze into his system. Only half interestedly he eyes the milling club-goers and dancers offering patrons a body shot\lap dance and politely refuses a girl offering to buy him a drink. By the time he notices the playlist in the speakers is on loop he already has half a mind grabbing a cab home since he's pretty sure he spotted Liam begging forgiveness from Zayn and that didn't look like something that was about to be resolves any time soon. But then Harry catches sight of something from the corner of his eye and visibly perks up when he realizes it's the guy from the stage. The one with the pink feather boa.

 "Hey there", he motions for the stripper. "Are you free by any chance?"

The guy looks a bit surprised at first, but then seem to consider him for a beat before sauntering over. He's even more gorgeous up close than Harry previously thought, with wide blue eyes, sharp angles and small lips tinged with pink. He looks at Harry expectantly and Harry offers him a hand. A not so subtle invitation.

"You want a dance?", the dancer lifts one eyebrow, he looks a little tired and is dressed somewhat differently than the rest of the strippers with a sash around his bare torso and nothing but teeny tiny pants, a garter around his thigh and some sparkly stuff stuck in his hair. But Harry doesn't really bother to question his work clothes, he guesses no matter what the guy has on, he's bound to attract the costumers.

Harry nods at him and there's an awkward couple of seconds when they just stare at each other before Harry offers his most wide and disarming smile, laying on the charm a little thick. And the guy almost despite himself grins back.

He takes the offered hand and Harry pulls at it until the dancer's standing between the open vee of his legs. The stripper glances around and takes a sip off Harry's pint before starting to move in front of him, just casually in sync with the beat of the music. Harry has the ridiculous notion that he probably shouldn't be drinking from the costumers' drinks, it's not safe and someone can easily slip something in them, but then the dancer's sliding in to straddle his lap and Harry's mind moves on to much happier places.

The dancer bites his lip and puts his hands on Harry's shoulders, bracing himself and arching his body against him, and Harry is treated to an eyeful of smooth tanned skin, glistening under the neon lights. If the stripper was a girl, his cleavage would be in Harry's face but instead there's only the cluster of pink feathers playing pick-a-boo with pretty little nipples.

The night is already drawing in and Harry feels it in his bones, the long hours, faces of random people he chatted with and one too many vodka shots. It's probably all those that make Harry so entranced, make it so easy to get himself lost in the person tantalizing him with shy smiles and feathery touches.

He can't tear his gaze away from the soft swell of hips undulating in front of him, the shiny eyes of his dancer that's slowly turning soft, with every movement, giving in to the moment. This moment, when their breaths mingle and it's almost hard to tell where one begin and the other ends.

They're both moving in synch with one another and Harry shifts the curve of his body in time with every sliding movement of the other one. His hands hover where the guy's rolling his hips and canting them in a leisure rhythm that make Harry thrum with slow burning want.

He figures he probably looks like some love sick loser with hearts in his eyes as he looks up at the guy writhing in his lap but so does probably all of the stripper's patrons. He is that good.

Harry tucks a note into his garter belt and the guy freezes for a minute but then smiles a little cheekily and leans down to graze his teeth under Harry's chin.

His mind pretty much short-circuits after that.

-

 

"Don't start with that shit Liam or I swear to god –", Zayn throws over his shoulder as he throws door leading to the restroom open.

Liam curses himself and his quick temper, he didn't actually think Zayn was doing anything he shouldn't have been doing, and in any case that wasn't what this is about.

"What, Zayn? You'll stop talking to me or start running away from me? Because it seems awfully close to what you're already doing", Liam storms in after him.

There's a guy in there washing his hands, looking at them like they had a few screws too loose but Liam couldn't bring himself to be bothered by that right now.

"That's right", Zayn turns to look at him. "Thank you for reminding me!" He walks into one of the stalls and Liam only nearly avoids his fingers from being clipped on the bathroom door Zayn slams in his face.

-

 

So Harry's pretty sure he hasn't been this turned on in his life, at least not since Cindy Pellegrino went down on him behind the bleachers his junior year, and even that mind blowing experience could have trouble standing up against this one.

Harry tries to remember when someone had affected him quite like this, hit all his existing kinks and made him add a few dozen new ones to his list he had no idea he wanted until now. Like delicate eyelashes. And tattoos.

Just when he thinks his night couldn't possibly get any better the stripper husks in his ear. "I'm not usually allowed to do this but – ", the stripper takes Harry's hands in his and places them on his waist before leaning down to whisper in his ear. "You're allowed to touch."

Harry surreptitiously glances around to see there aren't any angry bodyguards watching, about to pound him to the ground with their fists for touching one of their dancers, but his hands are already traveling over the other man's body, coming to settle on the back of his thighs.

"It's okay", the dancer whispers to him, the take and give of his hips shifting against the achingly hard line in his jeans, the pressure's almost there but not quite. Harry grabs handfuls of the dancer's bum, pulling him in and positioning his weight just where he wants it and the dancer's apparently all for that by the way he throws his head back and grinds his hips down on Harry's, the swell of his ass is right against Harry's aching cock and it's the sweetest release he can find.

Harry isn't new to lap dances but there's something about the way the other one's enjoying himself, showing off in front of Harry that hits him harder than he cares to admit. And he can't miss the apparent bulge in the stripper's pants that's a clear as day evidence he's loving it just as much as Harry does. Which makes it that much hotter.

He lunges forward and kisses him and Harry loses it, just like that, inside his trousers like he was back in high school.

-

 

"Do you think they'll notice if we left?", Niall leaned against the bar. They amusedly tracked Liam chasing Zayn to the toilets and noticed Harry completely rapt while getting a lap dance in the far end of the club.

"Nah", Ed drawls. They really were the best of friends that they so selflessly agreed to help Liam try to reconcile with Zayn, and driving him to about twenty different nightclubs. Not that it was any hardship, Ed eyes the form of an undulating girl moving her hips against an opposite platform, long curls slithering over her shoulders and cascading unto her back.

"We should probably check on Andy", Niall glances at him.

"He'll be fine."

"Probably –", Niall does a double take when he realizes the spot Ed's fixing on. "You know that's a guy, right?"

"No way is that – ", Ed starts to object but then the stripper turns and shows them her face. Niall and Ed cock their heads in unison, it's definitely a man's body, but dressed in a bra and skirt and looking for all the world like a perfect woman, hair, makeup and all.

"Huh", Ed sounds thoughtful and then clinks his beer bottle with Niall's. "Cheers mate."

"Cheers", Niall echoes and nods.

-

 

Everything around them is like a meaningless mirage of sounds and color, Harry feels the soft rise and fall of the chest of the person slumped against him, as they come down from their strung out high. Then, the dancer rises his head and Harry looks up at him, there are glitters smudged on the corner of his cheek bone. "What's your name?", Harry has to know.

The stripper blinks at him and then as if snapping out of his daze turns bright pink and scrambles out of Harry's lap. "I have to go."

"Wait!", Harry nearly shouts, he really doesn't want him to. He hesitates, but then asks, "How much do I owe you?"

The stripper looks disappointed for some reason and gives him a last smile. "Don't worry about it, that one's on the house."

And Harry's helpless to do anything as he walks right out of his life.

-

 

"Zayn", Liam raps his knuckles on the closed door and hangs his head in defeat when the stubborn silence is the only thing that reaches his ears.

"I'm sorry, okay? I think the whole thing has gotten way out of proportion, it's not about that guy, or whatever it was you were doing with him." Liam hears a derivative snort from the other side of the door. At least it means Zayn's listening to him.

"Can you at least try looking at it from my perspective? I haven't seen you almost all week, these past months have been like a nightmare trying to synchronize out schedules, and the last few days – ", Liam leans his forehead against the door. "I've been missing you like crazy. But I've tried to be patient, I knew you were busy with the last semester of school and your internship and everything else. And I knew that the first free moment you'd have –"

"I'd spend with you", he hears Zayn fills in and his chest tightens just a little at the sound of his muffled voice. "I thought you were working."

"I know you did, and I was supposed to if my boss hadn't have let me go so early. But it still doesn't feel great to find you hanging out with some random guy when I can't even get an hour alone with you."

Liam remembers Zayn laughing and smiling at that person and still feels the bitter reminder of how it felt when he saw them. Zayn haven't sat with him like that in so long, directed his sunny smiles at him or carefree demeanor, just spent the time with him without having to fret over his studies or bills or any other obligation he had to catch up on. "I just feel like you're slipping away from me", he mutters to the chipped paint of the door's surface.

The door latch opens with a snick and Zayn comes out, looking like someone drained all the anger and frustration right out of him and left nothing but weariness and no small amount of guilt. He puts his arms around Liam's shoulder, "I'm not slipping away from you."

"You're not?", Liam looks at him warily.

"No. I think I'd know if I was", Zayn leans his head against Liam's shoulder. "You know it's only temporary, the situation with my job and the last semesterof my degree. And believe me, I know it sucks. Do you think I like being away from you for such long periods at a time? Being stuck in school or work, it only makes everything that much harder. But it also makes everything bearable, to know I have something to look forward to. Seeing you at the end of the day, even for a little bit is totally worth the hard parts."

Liam looks at him as he speaks and lets it all sink in. These are important words. Liam knew he and Zayn were serious about each other but he wasn't sure how far had Zayn considered him as part of his plans for the long haul.

"Maybe I was a bit too generous with my time with others, lately. But that's only because I knew you weren't going anywhere", Zayn kissed him. "And you should know that I'm not going anywhere, either."

They stay like that, just holding each other until Liam breaks the silence.

"So, basically, you're crazy about me and love everything about me except for how I make your friends cry?"

Zayn laughs into his shoulder. "You did not make him cry, just scared the crap out of him, I think."

"Good", Liam smiles where Zayn can't see him.

"Why don't you just pee on me and get it over with? Mark your territory, you Neanderthal."

"That's not a bad idea."

Zayn thumps him on the chest and pulls back. "C'mon, I think I'm ready for you to take me home."

And Liam's all for that.

-

 

They pick up Ed and Niall from the pub, who greet them with matching raised eyebrows and suggestive smirks, they're all halfway to the car when Harry catches up to them.

"I think I'm in love", Harry stumbles out of the noise of the club and walks over to them.

"Okay, Hazza." Zayn pats him on the head indulgingly, like he just said he saw a spaceship, and is rewarded by a pout from his little brother.

"So, who's getting married anyways?", Liam says on the way to the car, his fingers thread with Zayn's.

"Oh, just my friend from school. You've met him, Liam", Zayn absently fills in.

"Are you sure?", Liam frowns at him. From the people he saw there he didn't seem to recognize anyone.

"Yes, Louis. Remember?", Zayn reminds him.

"Oh, right", Liam suddenly does. "The one from your physics class. Is he marrying that awfully boring accountant? I thought you hated him."

"He's not boring", Zayn rolls his eyes but then starts looking a little shifty. "And I don't hate him, per se. It's just. Their parents are real kin on them settling down together. I just hope it's what lou wants."

"I'm sure it does babe, otherwise he wouldn't be celebrating with you guys. Right?"

"You're right", Zayn grins at him but then looks a bit pensive. "Actually, now that you mention it, I haven't seen Louis in the last hour or so."

 

 La Fin {for now… }

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a new writer :) pls let me know if you like/dislike or some things in between. It would be much appreciated!
> 
> Hope to update the second part in the next few days x


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